¡Hola profes! At this point in the year, we are well into la primavera and are making that last push to get us to the summer. How many more days do you have??
This time of year can be challenging for many reasons – spring fever, state testing, AP exams, and more are affecting my classes every day – and to keep my students engaged, I like to incorporate more of these activities into my lessons:
#1: Games. Without a doubt, I have found that adding games to my lessons is the most effective way to engage my students. Even my students most affected by spring fever are more likely to participate!
I am a HUGE fan of digital games like Kahoot!, Blooket, Gimkit, and Quizlet Live. The options for these platforms are endless and are convenient if your school is 1-to-1. But sometimes I don’t want to use devices, or I’d prefer to use them minimally. There’s something to be said for moving around, using manipulatives, and working in teams, you know? Here are some of my favorite games to play as summer approaches:
#2: Creative assignments and projects. I LOVE projects so much because, even in the spring when outside distractions are plentiful, my students submit high-quality work when they are given opportunities to create with the language and use it in a way that is meaningful for them. Another appealing aspect is that you don’t need a lot to make a great project: just a set of instructions outlining what you want your students to do, and a rubric or checklist that tells students how you are going to assess them. Once you have these in place, the students will do the lion’s share of the work!
Looking for ideas for your current unit? Here are some of my favorite projects:
#3: Culture. When I survey my students at the end of a unit and ask them which part(s) they enjoyed the most, the overwhelming majority say the cultural lessons and activities were their favorites! Here are some of my favorite cultural activities to do with my students:
Lastly, profes, I firmly believe that there’s no tired like teacher tired! Because of that, I have teamed up with 10 other Spanish teacher-authors to bring you some AMAZING resources totaling over $60 in value – all for FREE!
Click here to access the activities, then click on the individual links for each activity that you could use now or in the future! Again, they’re all FREE! But this offer is only good until Saturday, May 20th, so don’t wait!
Here’s what you can choose from (and you can grab them ALL, if you like!):
- Integrated Listening & Speaking Activity: Food & Restaurants from Specialty Spanish
- Spanish Professions Digital Escape Room from Angie Torre
- Spanish Trashketball Activity from La Señora Eller
- Spanish-speaking Country Games Activites from me, Señora Q
- Conversation Starters from La Profesora Inspiradora
- Spring Lotería Games by La Profe Zulita
- Level 1 or 2 Readings about Costa Rica and Cuba from Adventures in Heritage Teaching
- Summer Color By Number Pages by The Island Teacher
- Metro Travel Lesson by Esteem Learning
- Todo sobre mi Project by Kosmik Teaching
- Collaborative Poster by La Profe Plotts
- AP Spanish End of Year Art Project & Gallery Walk from Specialty Spanish
I hope this helps you make it through the spring and into the summer, profes! Have a wonderful week!
Señora Q 